Working table



may 3955 J. A. VASSHAUG 25745399 WORKING TABLE Filed Nov. 20, 1951 INI/NTOR 27 wmv/MMcLL-ah,

United States Patent O WORKING TABLE Jurgen Alfred Vasshaug, Gslo, Norway Application November 20, 1951, Serial No. 257,370

Claims priority, application Norway November 22, 1950 1 Claim. (Cl. S12-330) The present invention relates to a working table intended for use in chemical, physical or other laboratories or workshops wherein a certain number of utensils should be within easy reach of the operator and at the same time be so accommodated as not to occupy useful space on the table top. Especially the working table according to the invention lends itself to use in schools or other educational establishments wherein a certain number of persons should perform similar or identical operations simultaneously on a minimum of oor space so as to be easily supervisable.

According to the invention the working table is of the type having a table top on which the operations are to be performed and a space underneath the said table top adapted to accommodate the legs of a person sitting at the table, and the purpose of the invention is achieved by providing the working table with a boxlike compartment located underneath the said table top, and supporting and slide means interconnecting the said compartment with the remainder of the said table, the said compartment extending downwardly from the table top for such a dis tance as to etectively bar the admission to the said space underneath the table top from the side of the table in which the face of the said compartment is situated. In this manner the drawer formed by the said compartment will be adapted to be drawn out to the side of the table opposite to that occupied by the person working at the table, with the consequence that the contents of the drawer will be accessible and easily reached by the said person from his working station contrary to the usual arrangement of drawers facing the side of a table occupied by the working person who, when desirous of getting at the contents of the drawer, has to pull the drawer against himself and move from his working station in order to make room for the withdrawal of the drawer.

This and other characteristic features of the working table according to the invention will appear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates an embodiment of the working table.

In the drawing, Figure l is a vertical sectional view of the table taken along the line I-I in Figure 2, Figure 2 is a fractional sectional view taken along the line lI--Il in Figure l, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a drawer when removed from the remainder of the table.

As shown in the drawing, the working table comprises a table top 1 and table legs 2 leaving a space 3 underneath the table top of sufiicient height to provide ample room for the legs of a person sitting adjacent to the side edge 4 of the table top. kOn the lower surface of the table top 1 there are arranged slides 5 adapted to cooperate with flanges 5 on a boxlike compartment generally indicated by 6, whereby the compartment will form a drawer 2,745,709 Patented May 15, 1956 ICC having front, back and side walls 7, 8 and 9, respectively and a bottom 10. In Figure 1 the drawer 6 is shown in its pushed in position, in which the back wall S is abutting against a board 11 vertically arranged along the length of the table and secured in any suitable manner to the respective ends of the table. The board 11 also serves as a protection shield, preventing engagement between the back wall 8 and the knees of a person sitting at the table, whereby inadvertent action on the drawer is avoided. Further the front face 7 of the drawer is provided with flanges 12 abutting against reinforcing boards 13 and 14 horizontally arranged underneath the table top 1 and between the table legs 2, respectively.

As shown in the Figures l and 3, the drawer 6 is provided with a shallow extension 6', extending along the length of the slide anges 5 on the side walls 9 of the drawer 6, engaging the slides 5, thereby serving as supporting means for the drawer. Thus the drawer extension 6 is extending from the back wall 8 of the drawer 6 towards the side 4 of the table opposite to that in which the front wall 7 of the drawer is situated. Conveniently a vertical side board 15 is arranged underneath the table top 2 serving as a closure to or protection of the free end of the drawer extension 6.

In order that the drawer may easily be manipulated by a person sitting adjacent to the side edge 4 of the table, the bottom face 10' of the extension 6 is provided with a hand grip 16 by means of which the drawer 6 with the extension 6 may be slid along the slides 5 to the outward position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, thereby leaving the interior of the drawer 6 accessible from the top. By further movement also the extension 6 is made accessible.

Secured to the inside of the front and back walls 7 and 8, respectively, of the drawer 6 are rails 17 extending along at least a certain length of the said walls and adapted to serve as supporting means for shelves 18, which are preferably made removable and which may be interconnected as by rods 19 in order that more shelves 18 may be jointly removed as a unit from the drawer. The connecting means 19 may be formed as vertical rods, as shown, or contingently as wooden sheets (not shown), whereby the shelf-unit will be in a boxlike form. The shelves 18 may be provided with apertures 20 of various forms so as to be adapted to serve as supporting and/or centering means to various implements, tools, etc. to be accommodated in the drawer, such as indicated at 21.

Due to the fact that the drawer 6 is to be withdrawn to the side of the table opposite to the person working at the same, the withdrawal of the same does not conflict with the space 3 intended to accommodate the legs of the said person. Consequently the length of the drawer 6 may be made suitable for the accommodation of implements and tools of even great height, which may be placed in upright position, such as bottles, glasses or jars, possibly containing liquids.

I claim:

A work table comprising a table top having substantially straight front and rear edges, a drawer having front and rear walls, said drawer being slidably supported beneath the table top, cooperating supporting and slide means secured at the lower surface of the said table top and on the said drawer, respectively, and extending transversely inwardly from the said front edge of the table top enabling the said drawer to be at least partly withdrawn outside the said front edge, the said drawer extending inwardly from the said front edge and extending down- Wardly from the said table top to a level below the knees of an adult person seated at the table, a shallow extension rigid with said drawer and extending toward and nearly to the rear edge of said table top, immediately underneath the table top, said rear wall of said drawer and said shallow extension dening a space to accommodate the legs of an adult person seated at said table, stop means to prevent said drawer from entering said space, and handle means on said extension near said rear edge of said table top. v

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

